Gina Carano, the actress and Mixed Martial Arts fighter that made a splash in seasons 1 and 2 of the Disney+ Star Wars show The Mandalorian as mercenary Cara Dune, will not be returning to that series or elsewhere in a galaxy far, far away after sharing a post on social media implying that being a Republican Party member in today’s America is akin to being Jewish during the Holocaust of World War II.

Carano posted on Instagram: “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children.” She then quoted an unknown source, “Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?”

Included in her post was an image from 1941 showing a bloodied and near-naked Jewish woman in Lvov, Ukraine being chased in the street by uniformed and armed men and boys who were aggravated into assault by the Nazi occupation in the area. 4000 Jews were killed in that pogrom.

The offending post was removed, but not before the “#FireGinaCarano” hashtag began to trend on social media for the third time in the past year. The first time it surfaced was in regards to Carano spreading anti-COVID/anti-mask information and voter fraud conspiracy posts; the second, when she made light a few months later of the LGBT community, belittling transgendered people in reference to their preferred pronouns – an opinion surprisingly in conflict with co-star Pedro Pascal, who recently posted loving support for his trans sister, Lux.

This third strike appears to be the last for Disney – Lucasfilm representatives released a statement declaring “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”

In attempted retaliation by supporters, “#CancelDisneyPlus” and “#WeLoveGinaCarano” hashtags failed to garner steam or sympathy.

Further holding the actress accountable, her management company United Talent Agency has dropped her from their roster after just under two years of representation; the prestigious UTA reps stars like Harrison Ford, Charlize Theron, Paul Rudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor and Don Cheedle. Carano’s PR firm ID released her last fall due to her controversial social media postings.

Whether Carano was slated to return to The Mandalorian, or more likely be spun off as the star of the new series Rangers of the New Republic, is unknown; her future with the Star Wars franchise was certainly looking bright, and would also have likely included crossover appearances in the forthcoming Disney+ projects Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka.

What was once a triumphant and inspiring turn for devotees of the universe has now become disappointing. Carano’s Cara Dune, a veteran shocktrooper of the Rebel Alliance and later Marshal of Navarro, represented something enlightening in Star Wars – a competent, independent, and experienced female soldier of a type never seen in the film series. She was tough, smart, full of figure, a commanding and heroic presence in the field, and a lot of admirers found something to identify with in her. An orphan of Princess Leia’s destroyed planet of Alderaan, the character appears to have a strong moral code that the actress just doesn’t display.

Many fans have been using their time during COVID isolation to bring Cara Dune to life through cosplay – but it’s that same isolation that has kept the character from seeing much duty in the halls of now-cancelled conventions since her debut. That will now likely be curtailed, and it seems unlikely Gina Carano will receive a warm welcome fulfilling the destiny of all Star Wars actors at convention autograph tables in the future. 

Time will tell what the final effects on Carano’s career will be; previous credits include Deadpool, Fast & Furious 6, and video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. It remains to be seen if she can still attract similar high-profile projects in the future; Carano once said about fighting, “I’d rather have a career that was short and meaningful than a career that was long and full of bull****.” That may apply to acting as well.

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